Knowing When It's Time to Replace a Sanding Pad

A sanding pad is an important attachment to a sanding machine. It has a variety of shapes, sizes, and styles. It is being rated for the number grits or the coarseness. The higher the grit, the smoother the finish you get. However, like all things, these pads tend to wear out after a while of usage. Knowing when and how to replace them is very important to ensure the great outcome of your project.

Types of Sander

There are many types of sanders, from ones that bind sandpaper to a piece of wood to the big power fed equipment. A sander machine is a power tool created to smooth surfaces of various materials. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and descriptions that works for different types of projects that needs finishing. This tool can be categorized into four general assortments: disk sander, vibrating sander, belt sander, and drum sander, all of which shared the same function but different purposes. The choice of which sander to use depends on the project at hand. There are types that are being used at the beginning of the project for a faster result and there are some used to accomplish the ideal fine finish.

Symptoms of a Replaceable Pad

Over time, the sanding pads wear out and lose their grip. If a sander was used frequently and is pushed to its limit often, the pads will heat up and burn down the hooks attaching it to the machine. The first significant sign is when the sanding pan slips out of the center of the attachment and it starts to grab on your project. While you continuously work without the pad, it then burns the plastic hooks and ruins the pad.

It is time to change the pads when it is not working consistently like having the same result you used to get when sanding. It means that the grit is already worn out and has worked all the way to its paper backing. Another thing to remember is that if there is a worn spot on the pad even if the whole pad is not yet worn, you must replace it because it will only leave spots on your project and may not get the expected result.

Replacing the Pad

Make sure you switch off the equipment before changing it. Turn it over, the disc facing you. Remove the disc starting on the side, and gradually moving around the side of the pad. Then pulling it gently, replace it with a new one making sure that you follow the instruction carefully.

In an orbital sander, switch the unit off, hold it firmly on a working table, and use an Allen wrench to free the bolt. Pull the old sander off and then replace it with a new one carefully but firmly tightening the bolt using the wrench to ensure that it will be well attached to the unit.